GRAVETTE — It was about 10:30 Tuesday morning, Sept. 4, when metal struck metal at the Source Gas substation adjacent the school grounds in Gravette.

Students were in classes at the Upper Elementary School, which is located less than 500 feet from the station. And a similar distance separated the Middle School from the station when natural gas began spewing into the air.

A backhoe was being used for maintenance when it struck a high-pressure line, cracking a valve in the line.

The roar of the escaping gas was audible half a block away. Fortunately, the mild southerlybreeze carried the gas away from the school buildings and it dissipated into the atmosphere. No blaze or other damage resulted from the break in the valve.

Reaction was immediate. The alarm went out to the nearby school buildings. Closest neighbors to the scene were also alerted to the problem.

The 400-plus students in the Upper Elementary building were dispatched to a grassy area several hundred yards south of the building. The evacuation was orderly and without incident. They later moved to the Gravette Civic Center.

Similarly, staff at the Middle School hastily evacuated about 450 students from that building. They were directed to the old high school gymnasium, a safedistance from the spewing gas.

Students at Glenn Duffy Elementary, totaling about 450, were not immediately evacuated, but plans were made to move them if it became necessary.

Sometime later, the elementary and middle school students were transported to the high school complex at its location, far-removed from the site, to await repair of the break which had been expected to be completed within a couple of hours.

Parent Notification

The school emergency parentnotification phone system went into effect. More than 3,000 calls were made advising parents of the situation and providing up-dates. Unfortunately, some parent information had not been updated and, in some cases, parents were not at home at the time.

The school is urging parents to provide current information and to notify the school if and when changes occur.

Because kitchen and dining facilities were evacuated, providing the noon meal became a challenge. That problem was solved. Each child received a slice of pizza, an apple, a graham cracker and milk. Not the prescribed menu for the day but, under the circumstances, nourishment was provided.

After noon it became obvious repairs would take longer than expected and the decision was made to dismiss school early.

Several parents arrived at the various sites to pick up their children and buses loaded children for their return home. This was accomplished without incident.

Repairs Completed

Repairs on the break continued into late afternoon until an all-clear was given which allowed school to resume on schedule Wednesday morning.

Gravette police and fire departments respondedimmediately, as did the emergency personnel, which aided in sealing off the site, providing traffic direction and assisting school personnel.

Rich Davis, a spokesperson for Source Gas, explained the crew was performing a routine maintenance operation when the incident occurred.

“We never want this to occur. But when an accident like this occurs, we feel confident we can respond in a timely manner, can work with local officials and fix whatever is broken,” Davis said.

News, Pages 1 on 09/12/2012